(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Trend
A vast majority of Turkish people are in favor of Türkiye's
accession to the European Union, Deputy Foreign Minister and EU
affairs director Faruk Kaymakcı said Monday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah
'I can inform you that 79% of Turkish people want EU
membership,' Kaymakcı wrote on Twitter in response to a posting by
a political communications specialist at the European
Commission.
He quoted the figure in response to Adviser to the European
Commission's Director-General for Communication Tom Moylan, who on
his personal Twitter account posted a graphic titled 'Who wants to
join the EU most?' along with pictures of over a dozen countries –
failing, however, to include longtime candidate country
Türkiye.
Kaymakcı responded: 'Dear Tom, the EU picture would not be
complete & fair without Türkiye, an EU negotiating candidate.
Omitting and adding those who are not even EU candidates distorts
the picture of the EU.'
Moylan later responded: 'I didn't make the picture - I just
thought it was interesting ... Thanks for sharing the stat though,
I agree that Turkey was a glaring omission.'
Türkiye has the longest history with the union and the longest
negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement
with the EU's predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community
(EEC), which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually
becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987,
Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a
candidate country. However, for the start of the negotiations,
Türkiye had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely
long process compared with other candidates.
In the years since, talks have been essentially frozen due to
political roadblocks by certain EU members, for reasons unrelated
to their suitability for membership, according to Ankara.
Türkiye-EU relations are marked by disputes on several issues,
including tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, Türkiye's role in
Syria, the migrant crisis and the stalemate in Türkiye's accession
process to join the bloc. However, Türkiye recently reiterated that
it is part of Europe and sees its future in the EU, adding that it
will continue to work toward full membership.
Ankara is calling to reenergize the accession process, update
the EU-Türkiye Customs Union, regular high-level dialogues, visa
liberalization and counterterrorism.
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